In international comparisons of science literacy, U.S. students score below average, according to The Condition of Education 2008, a report released May 29 by the U.S. Department of Education’s National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

The Condition of Education, a congressionally mandated annual report, examines conditions and trends in K–12, postsecondary, and adult education. NCES Commissioner Mark Schneider said the report “allows us to take a big-picture look” at such indicators as U.S. students’ performance on national and international assessments; trends in school enrollments; student-teacher ratios in public schools; and trends in public school expenditures.

This year’s report references the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment (PISA 2006), which details “the science literacy of 15-year-olds in 57 educational jurisdictions, including the 30 member countries of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and 27 non-OECD countries and subnational education systems.” On PISA 2006, the average U.S. science literacy score was 489—11 points below the average of the 30 OECD nations. U.S. students had a lower average score than students in 16 OECD countries and a higher average score than students in only five OECD countries. The top five OECD nations were Finland (563), Canada (534), Japan (531), New Zealand (530), and Australia (527).

In addition, U.S. students scored lower than their peers in six non-OECD jurisdictions and higher than their peers in 17 non-OECD jurisdictions.

A Closer Look at Science Literacy